Birds. 3983 



Jackdaws taking the Eggs and Young of other Birds to feed their 

 own Young with. By W. H. Slaney, Esq. 



In the tenth volume of this journal (Zool. 3475), is an account of 

 the destruction of eggs by two individuals of Montagu's harrier, in 

 one of them the yolk, and in the other, the greater part of the egg and 

 shell of a thrush having been discovered : but I have to bring a charge 

 of a similar nature, and even of a more villanous character, against 

 another bird, usually, I believe, not thought to commit such depreda- 

 tions, namely, the jackdaw. The noisy, chattering, and thieving pro- 

 pensities of this bird are well known, as well as the trouble it often 

 occasions by building its nest down chimneys, which it frequently en- 

 tirely fills up, so as to fill the whole house with smoke when an attempt 

 is made to light a fire : but were this the only accusation against the 

 jackdaw, or even pilfering a few stray articles to form its nest with, 

 it might be forgiven ; but the following acts are of a more serious 

 nature. 



Numerous pairs of jackdaws have taken up their abode about this 

 place, and every year have built in the hollows of the old trees quite 

 close to the house, more especially one pair, which took possession of 

 a hole in an elm tree, but a few yards from the ground, and there, for 

 several successive summers, hatched their young. This year, how- 

 ever, having previously had suspicions of their depredations, I desired 

 that the hole in the tree might be closed up ; on this being done, the 

 jackdaws established themselves in an old ivy, a little further off, and 

 there made their nest, in which might very shortly be heard the al- 

 most constant clamour of the young ones crying for food. Very near 

 to the tree from which the daws had been ejected, and within a few 

 feet of the stable-door, was a privet hedge, which, on being trimmed, 

 disclosed the nest of a poor thrush, which the bird had to quit eight 

 or nine times a day, owing to persons passing to the stable ; but still 

 she continued laying, and afterwards sitting, until she had hatched 

 four eggs. The young thrushes were quite open to view ; and though 

 no accident befell the eggs, yet, early one morning, within a few days 

 after their birth, the four little callow birds were all missing, although 

 late the night before they were quite safe, and on the same morning 

 the jackdaws had been seen pretty near the spot, though several hun- 

 dred yards from their own nest, then full of young. I feel convinced, 

 from the inquiries I made, and the caution I had previously peremp- 

 torily given, that no servant or other person had taken them ; and it 



